LEGO Replica of Saskatoon’s Traffic Bridge Will Go On

January 13, 2016

Photo by GORD WALDNER / SASKATOON STARPHOENIX

Andre Lalonde of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada has ensure the memory of the 109-year old Traffic Bridge, also called the Victoria Bridge, will live on even after the demolition of the real one continued this past weekend.

Lalonde has worked with the Saskatchewan Heritage Society to build the 8-meter (25 feet) long replica of the bridge and used blueprints to ensure as much accuracy as possible. He started designing the bridge using LEGO software several years ago and has spent about $2,000 buying the pieces he needed from sellers all over the world.

“There’s angles that you shouldn’t be able to make with squares,” Lalonde explained. The whole model is about 1:40 scale, so a LEGO minifigure would be about the right scale compared to the model.

Photo By Wendy Winiewski / Global News

The build took Lalonde about 3 years in total and around 16,000 pieces to complete. When it’s not on display to the public, one of the 5 sections needs to be removed to fit inside his basement.

The LEGO model doesn’t just sit around either, Lalonde takes it to model train shows and LEGO exhibitions in a trailer and runs real LEGO trains through it, delighting fans old and young.

Lalonde said his next Lego feat will either be the Delta Bessborough or the Albert Community Centre.